Hanging by a Moment
by Kaslyna
Summary: They were dangling, merely dangling, waiting to fall. Will they sink or swim?


**A/N: Mike/Connie, and the song is Hanging by a Moment by Lifehouse, one of the most memorable songs EVER. I love it sooo much and it fits!**

**Disclaimer: Law & Order belongs to Dick Wolf and NBC, and Hanging by a Moment belongs to Lifehouse and whoever recorded it.**

_Desperate for changing  
Starving for truth  
I'm closer to where I started  
Chasing after you  
I'm falling even more in love with you  
Letting go of all I've held onto  
I'm standing here until you make me move  
I'm hanging by a moment here with you  
_

He knew he loved her during the Marty Winston case.

She had cried in his arms after his near-death experience, shaken and broken. Her fragility had lasted comfortably for a few treasured moments, and then she was normal again, professional. It was as if she had not just spent the past hour or so sobbing into his shirt, his hand running down her back, his lips in her hair.

When he was attacked by the violent psychopath who thought the KGB was out to get him, his cheek had bled. She had held the napkin to his face and chastised him. However, she could not hide the smile on her lovely features, and as he yelped as the prison nurse stitched him up, she chuckled darkly.

"Serves you right, you overzealous son-of-a-bitch," she mumbles, shaking her head in utter disbelief.

He looked up and smiled, squeezing her hand. She gently brought their intertwined hands to her cool cheek and rested them there. Her eyelids fluttered shut and she sighed wistfully.

She was the most enchanting creature he had ever had the pleasure to know.

_  
Forgetting all I'm lacking  
Completely incomplete  
I'll take your invitation  
You take all of me now...  
_

It was November of 2009 now, and he still remembered the way her soft cheek felt. The Marcus Woll case was over, and they were both relieved.

"With all the appeals coming in, you two will have to work day and night together," Jack McCoy sighs heavily, then adds, "That won't be a problem, will it?"

After he leaves, Mike looks over nervously at Connie. She flashes him a shy, reassuring smile, and then turns back to their work.

She unbuttons her blouse, revealing the white camisole underneath.

Unfortunately, it would be a problem.

_  
I'm falling even more in love with you  
Letting go of all I've held onto  
I'm standing here until you make me move  
I'm hanging by a moment here with you  
I'm living for the only thing I know  
I'm running and not quite sure where to go  
And I don't know what I'm diving into  
Just hanging by a moment here with you  
_

"So, next time we prosecute a murderer, do we murder someone?" Connie asks teasingly.

"Hmm," Mike pretends to contemplate it, "I'll have to ask my boss."

He wraps an arm around her shoulders, and she looks up at him. He withdraws the arm and mumbles an apology.

"Let's get a drink," she sighs, "I have a migraine and could really use one right about now."

He nods, hand on the small of her back as they leave. They stop at a little pub nearby and order beers.

He claps a hand boldly on her knee, and he stares wickedly into her eyes, asking for permission. She nods tentatively and he does not remove the hand.

_  
There's nothing else to lose  
There's nothing else to find  
There's nothing in the world  
That can change my mind  
There is nothing else  
There is nothing else  
There is nothing else  
_

They have only had one beer each. Connie cannot blame the drinks, nor does she want to. She was too damn tired to play the professional consummate any longer. All she wanted, no, all she really needed, was Mike, and she didn't give a crap about what it may or may not do to her career. She has to be sure, though.

"Mike…" she sighs.

He looks questioningly at her, and she smiles weakly.

"Mike," she starts cautiously, "I need to know something."

"What is it?" he asks.

"I need to know… do you really love me, Mike? Do you just want a good time?"

The wind is knocked out of him; he is obviously surprised, and she allows him to collect himself, a naïve trust in her eyes.

His throat was dry, and he knew what he wanted to say, what he had to say, but he could not form the words. She frowns and stands.

"Where are you going?" he cries.

"I need to be sure, Mike," she mumbles, "I can't make a mistake again."

He watches her leave and shouts, "Dammit, Connie! Don't leave! Wait up!"

He throws a fifty onto the counter and dashes outside after her, into the light snowfall.

_  
Desperate for changing  
Starving for truth  
I'm closer to where I started  
Chasing after you....  
_

He makes his way to her apartment, nerves exploding all over his body. He needs to tell her, and he needs to tell her now.

He gets into the creaky elevator and hits the button for the seventh floor. Mike steps out and walks until he reaches Apartment 718.

Mike takes a deep breath and knocks gently on the door.

"Hello," she breathes, answering.

"Hello," he smiles shyly, "Can I come in?"

"Sure," she nods, allowing him to enter.

He takes a seat on her couch, takes another deep breath, and begins, "Connie, there's something I need to tell you…"

_  
I'm falling even more in love with you  
Letting go of all I've held onto  
I'm standing here until you make me move  
I'm hanging by a moment here with you  
I'm living for the only thing I know  
I'm running and not quite sure where to go  
And I don't know what I'm diving into  
Just hanging by a moment here with you  
_

Her eyes flutter open, the soft early dawn creeping into the room. She does not stir, lying across his chest. She smiles blissfully; nothing can ruin this perfection.

Mike stirs, and she straddles him, kissing him full on the lips.

"We need to get to work," he growls, nibbling gingerly at her ear.

She smiles and murmurs seductively, "Twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes," he agrees, flipping them over roughly.

The second time is absolutely nothing like the first time.

In fact, it's better.

As if that's possible.

_  
Just hanging by a moment here with you  
Hanging by a moment here with you  
Hanging by a moment here with you_


End file.
